Fluid heater



Dec. 14, 19.48. 0. MULLER 2,456,564

FLUID HEATER Filed June 7, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet IN V EN TOR.

2220 Muller Dec. 14,1948. MULLER 2,456,564

FLUID HEATER Filed June '7, 1945 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 0270 zoZZer WWW Patented Dec. 14, 1948 UNITED STATES PATEN T. OFFICE 2,456,564 FLUID HEATER Otto Muller, Bronx, N. Y.

Application June 7, 1945, Serial No. 597,981

This invention relates to water heaters.

An object of this invention is to provide a heater wherein water or any fluid is heated by indirect contact with steam or other hot water or any fluid; said water or any fluid to be heated is passed through a plurality of superposed coils which are mounted in .a closed housing, the housing being provided with an inlet and an outlet so that either steam, hot water or other hot fluid may be passed through the heater housing. The steam, hot water or other hot fluid provides the heating medium as it comes in contact with the coils.

Another object of this invention is to provide a heater of this kind which will continuously heat Water or any fluid without the use of additional heating equipment.

Another object of this invention is to provide a heater of this kind, which will heat Water or any fluid at a rate sufiicient to heatthewater or any fluid as they'are required, thereby eliminating the necessity of storing reserve quantities of the heated'water or other fluids.

Another object of this invention is to provide a heater or this kind, which will heat water'or any fluid at a constant rate over a long period of time.

With the foregoing objects in view; and others which may hereinafter more fully appear, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as will be more specifically described, and illustrated'in'the accompanying drawings wherein are shown embodiments of the invention-hut it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications may be resorted to which fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

Inthe drawings;

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of'a heater constructed according to an embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken :on the line 2-2 of Figure 1. l

Figure 3 is a vertical .section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 4 of a modified form of this invention.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings the numeral l designates generally a heater housing which is formed of a Cylindrical side Wall II, having an intake nipple l2 extendingfro'm the upper portion thereof. A downwardly tapered bottom wall l3 may be formed integral with the side wall 'I I, and 5 has a central outlet'nipple' l8 connected or formed iciaim. (o1. ear -22 9) integral with the same. The side wall 11 is formed withian upper annular flange 15 and a top wall or closure plate 16 is secured on the flange '1 5 by fastening members l1.

A series of spiral coils 18, 19,211 and 2:! are disposed within theheaterhousin'g f0 in vertically spaced relation and coil r8, which is the upper most coil, is connected to the adjacent coil I!) by means of a connecting pipe '22. The pipe 22 connects the outer convolution of the coil I8 to the inner convolution of coil 19, and the outer convolution of coil I9 is connected to the inner convolution of coil 20 by means of a connecting :pipe2'3.

The outer convolution of coil 201s connected to the inner convolution of coil 2.1 by means of a connecting'pipe 24. I

The water or other fluid which is .being heated enters the lowermost coil 21 through an intake pipe 25. The pipe 25 is extended through-a gland 26 carried by the side wall IL The water or other fluid which is heated in the several coils is-discharged fron the heater housing l-D through a discharge pipe Zlconnected to the inner convolution of the uppe'rcoil I8. The discharge'pipe 21 extends through a gland 28 carried by a .side wall I I, adjacent the upper portion thereof.

Asubstantially-conical bathe-29, whichis formed with a neck 30 at the lower small end thereof, is

disposed between the two coils l8 and IS. A second substantially conical baffle 3|, having a central neck or nipple 32, is disposed between the formed with a downwardly extending neck 34, is

disposed between the two coils 20 and 2|. If

desired these bafiles may beformed without the necks 30, 32 and .34.

The nipples .or necks 30, 32 and 34 provide a central columnof cool or low temperature water or other fluid which is adapted to pass centrally downwardly through the spiral .coils.

When the heating medium is hot water, the cold water orrother fluid flowing through'thecoils extracts the heat from the hot water Surrounding the coils. The cooledwatersurroundingthecoils tends to flow downward due to the relative differ'ence in weight between the cooled and the hot water. In flowing downward, the cooled water is directed bythe bames toward a section of the heater such as the center Where it can freely flow downward and out of the heater without passing ver the lower coils. As the cooled water passes downward and out of the heater through nipple 14, it is replaced by hot water entering nipple l2.

The concentration of all the cooled water at one point in the heater brings about a maximum differential in temperature between the cooled and the hot water. This differential in temperature results in a corresponding differential in relative weights of the water and therefore increases the speed of circulation through the heater. As a result of the disposition of the conical .bafiies whereby their central discharge openings of spouts 39 are arranged in vertical alignment, the cooler stratums of water may readily flow downwardly through a steady passageway afforded by these successive spouts; shunting out all coils of the entire tier of coils in doing so.

If no baffles were used, the cooled water from the upper coils would flow downward past the lower coils, cooling the entire lower portion of the heater. This action results in two conditions which my invention eliminates. Firstthe relatively cooler temperature surrounding the lower coils, and therefore, the reduced heating effect in the lower coils. Second-the cooled water, in-

stead of flowing to a concentrated point, and thereby creating water of maximum low temperature is permitted to now downward and mix with the hot water. This action results in the general cooling of the entire lower portion of the heater, but by no means creating the low concentrated temperature as when baffles are used. This low diilerential in relative temperature and weight of the cooled and hot water results in a correspondingly slow circulation through the heater. 7

When the heating medium is steam, the cold water or other fluid flowing through the coils extracts the heat from the stream surrounding the coils. The cooled steam condenses, and the condensation drops to the bafiles and is directed toward "a section of the heater where it can freely flow downward and out of the heater without passing over the lower coils. As the steam is condensed and the condensation flows out of the heater through nipple !4, it is replaced by steam entering the nipple l2.

"steam in the lower portion of the heater. This action results in the cooling and condensing of the steam in the lower portion of the heater thereby reducing the heating effect of the heater. Referring to Figures 3 and 4, there is disclosed a modified formof this invention-embodying a housing formed of opposite side walls 36, opposite end wallsSl and 36 and a bottom wall 39. A removable top wall 40 is secured to the upper end of the housing by fastening members, 4|, which engage through a marginal flange 42 extending about the opposite side and end walls. The housing 35 has extending from one side wall thereof an intake nipple 43 which is adapted to be connected to a source of heating medium, such as hot water or steam or other hot fluid and the bottom wall 39 which is of downwardly inclined configuration is provided with angoutlet nipple 44-. A hot water or fluid coil structure, generally designated as 45, is mounted within the housing 35 and comprises a plurality of coil members 46, 41, 48 and 49. The coil members 46 to 49 are of like configuration of substantially spiral configuration and an inlet pipe 50 extending through a gland 5i in end wall 38 is connected to the center of the first coil 46. The outer convolution of coil 46 is connected by means of a pipe 52 to the center of the second coil 41. The outer convolution of coil 41 is connected to the center of coil 48 by means of a pipe 53 and the outer convolution of coil 48 is connected to the center of coil 48 by means of a pipe 54. The outer convolution of coil 49 has a discharge pipe 55 connected therewith which extends through a gland 56 carried by the end wall 31. Coils 46 to 49 are flat or in other words, the convolutions are in the same plane as to each coil and, as shown in Figure 4, these coils are disposed on an angle to the vertical and the coils 46 and 41 have disposed therebetween a baffle plate 51. A baffie plate 58 is disposed between the coils 41 and 48 and a balile plate 59 is disposed between the coils 48 and 49.

, The coils 46 to 49 and the baiiie plates 51, 58 and 59 are arranged edgewise with respect to the intake nipple 43, so that the incoming heating medium will contact the coils from the outer convolutions thereof and as the heating medium cools and movesdownwardly toward the outlet nipple 44, the cooled heating medium contacting the convolutions of one coil will not engage the corn volutions of an adjacent coil. In this manner each coil will be equally heated and the baffies act to prevent the downwardly moving cooled medium which has engaged one coil from contacting an adjacent coil.

In the use of this heater, heater housing iii is connected by means of the intake I2 to the source of hot water, steam, or other medium and the discharge nipple I4 is connected to a source. of discharge.

If desired the intake nipple l2 may be connected to one portion of a boiler or hot-water heater andthe discharge l4 may be connected to the return side of the boiler or heater. As the heating medium passes downwardly through the interior of the housing ID, the coils l8, til, 20 and 2| will be heated and the water or fluid therein will be heatedto a degree which will be slightly less than the temperature of the heating medium in the housing I 0.

By providing a plurality of coils of spiral convolution which are positioned in superposed layers or series, a relatively large heat exchange surface is placed in contact with the heating medium so that the water or fluid within the .coils will be heated rapidly and to a relatively high degree.

The coils may be made out of copper or other suitable metal, which will not readily corrode. and

will provide sufficiently thin walls so as to effect a rapid heat exchange in order to heat the water or other fluid within the coils. The number, size,

or shape ofthe coils can be varied to meet the demand for hot Water or other fluid and to physically suit the prevailing conditions. It is further of making external connections to the coils may be used.

What I claim is:

In a fluid heater a tank having a lower discharge port and an upper inlet port, a plurality of superposed coils, each of said coils including spiral coplanar convolutions of tubing, a tubular connection between the center of a lower coil and the outer periphery of an upper coil, said coils being spaced inwardly from the walls of said tank, a concave centrally apertured baffle between successive coils, said baffle formed with a downwardly openin discharge spout at the apex thereof engaging within the center of the lower coil, the uppermost and lowermost of said coils being spaced from their respective ends of the tank whereby fluid in said tank may be vertically circulated from the center to the periphery thereof.

OTTO MULLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re.15,554 Schneible Mar. 6, 1923 521,838 Wardwell June 26, 1894 1,366,958 Schneible Feb. 1, 1921 1,382,670 Price June 28, 1921 2,224,621 Voorhees Dec. 10, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 427,042 France July 24, 1911 

